Be My Valentine
by AlwaysKate11
Summary: This is a short story in honor of Valentine's Day.  Starts today  Feb.7 and ends Feb. 14th.
1. Chapter 1

**Feb. 7, 2012**

Castle flipped the date on his desk calendar and sighed. Feb. 7th. Valentine's Day was just one week away. Such a frivolous holiday really. Promoted heavily by the card companies and chocolate makers as just one more day to leech the money out of your pocket. At least that's what a lot of men thought. Of course he wasn't one of them. He was a holiday, birthday, anniversary kind of guy. Nothing pleased him more than finding new and exciting ways to celebrate just about everything. Sadly, Valentine's Day was one of those days that just wasn't the same if you didn't have someone special to spend it with.

Christmas had been spent with his family, which was great, but something, someone, had been missing. He and Kate had exchanged gifts at the 12th. Small, goofy, safe gifts. New Years he had spent alone. Martha went out with one of her acting coaches and Alexis attended an all night party at her friend's. Castle spent the evening alone on his couch, watching the festivities on T.V., falling asleep at 11:00, only waking up when Alexis called him at midnight to wish him a Happy New Year. Now Valentine's Day was almost here and it looked like he was going to be Valentine-less. Three holidays that he had hoped to spend with Kate. Three disappointments.

He closed his eyes, and thought back to the previous summer, while he had sat around waiting to hear from her. Days, weeks, months had gone by and nothing. She had said she needed time. From him. He still wasn't completely sure why. Of course she had eventually made a move and they found their way back. To being partners. Friends. But something had changed. Her cutting him out of her life after all they had been through had hurt and although he told himself he had gotten over it, that hurt was still tucked away. It made him a little more cautious with his feelings. A little more wary. He felt off balance, not sure of where he stood. The easy flirting from before now seemed too casual, true flirting too serious.

But still, slowly he had begun to see some changes. Good ones. Positive ones. And a small flame of hope began to burn as he started to think that she was letting her wall down, finding her way to him. But now it seemed that he and Kate were at a complete stand still. Not losing ground, but not going forward. And he was tired. Tired of being alone. Tired of waiting for the woman he loved to love him back. Just tired. It didn't help that he hadn't been with a woman since he had gone to the Hamptons with Gina. He started to do the math on how long that was, but gave up, not wanting to hear a concrete number. Surprisingly, it wasn't the sex that he missed. It was the closeness, the connection to another person. That incredible feeling of being one half of a whole. He had been a half for way too long. That depressing thought led him back to his current predicament. Was it so wrong to want to spend Valentine's Day with a Valentine?


	2. Chapter 2

**Feb. 8, 2012**

Castle tapped his foot nervously on the floor, anxiously waiting for the elevator doors to open. Armed with a tall, skinny latte and a boat load of determination, he was a man on a mission. Late last night he had arrived at the conclusion that he had been going about this whole thing with Kate all wrong. Recovering from a sniper's bullet, scared and vulnerable, giving her space and time had been the right thing to do. So that's what he had done. He had been her rock. Her anchor. Consistent, loyal, understanding and respectful of her boundaries. But maybe he had gone too far. Maybe sitting back and passively waiting for her to come to the conclusion that she couldn't live without him, and to act on it, was a mistake. He noticed that she seemed different lately. More confident and open with her feelings. Maybe, just maybe, while he was sitting back waiting for her, she was sitting back waiting for him. So today, he was going to act. He was going to invite her out for Valentine's Day. _What a great way to start a relationship, _he thought to himself with a smile. _How awesome will it be years from now to remember that their first date was on Valentine's Day!_

Finally the doors opened with a cheery 'ding' and he stepped out, his eyes scanning the room. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She was staring intently at the murder board, arms crossed, while she leaned back on the desk behind her. He had long since given up questioning how she could so easily affect simply by her presence. He had been surrounded by beautiful women all of his adult life, yet none of them had ever affected him the way she did and she didn't even have to try.

Slowly he walked over to the board. She turned just as he reached it and smiled as she took the cup he offered.

"Thanks, Castle." She started to turn away, but something in his expression caught her attention. "Is something wrong?"

"What? No. Nothing's wrong."

She stared at him for several seconds, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him. Finally she turned back, facing the board again.

"Actually, I did want to ask you something," he said as he came to stand next to her. He found himself tapping the table nervously.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled, once again engrossed in the clues spread out in front of her.

"I was thinking, if you don't have plans, maybe we could go out next Tuesday. Grab some dinner, or a movie?"

She turned to look at him, a small frown marring her face. "Next Tuesday?"

"Yeah. You know. Valentine's Day." He had aimed for casual, but could tell by the look on her face that he hadn't pulled it off.

She pushed away from the table, putting some distance between them. Rolling her eyes, she laughed. "Come on, Castle, don't tell me you get into all that Valentine's Day hype."

He bristled at her tone. It reminded him of how things used to be between them. When she used sarcasm and humor to keep him away. She was even avoiding his eyes, something she hadn't done in months.

"Come on, it'll be fun," he said, not ready to give up.

"Maybe another time" she said, smiling apologetically. "Hey, Esposito," she called as she walked away from him, towards the other detective, effectively ending their conversation.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Castle was sitting at his desk trying in vain to put together a paragraph for his latest novel. His heart just wasn't in it. He couldn't help but go over his earlier conversation with Kate. He really thought things had changed between them; that she had changed. He snapped his laptop closed with more force than was necessary, giving up on trying to write. Her turning him down had bothered him more than he expected. It hurt, but more than that it mad him a little angry. How long did she expect him to sit around waiting?<p>

He picked up his phone and scanned through the contacts, stopping when he found the one he was looking for. He pushed it and the name "Paul" filled his screen. Paul worked at Hyperion, the publishing company that Castle used. They had run into each other just a few weeks ago and Paul had told him about a colleague that had asked about him. The colleague he was referring to was a woman named Casey. Casey had started working there soon after Castle had signed on with them and they had hit it off right away. They had become good friends and then started dating. It wasn't serious and when she ended up in a relationship with another writer he had wished her luck and moved on. According to Paul, that relationship hadn't worked out and she was back on the market. And asking about him. He had told Paul he wasn't interested, and at the time he hadn't been. But now he wondered if maybe he had spoken too soon. He wasn't looking for anything serious, and it didn't mean he was giving up on Kate. But maybe it would do him good to get out and enjoy a woman's company again.

His thumb hovered over the small 'call' icon. He shook his head, and put the phone down, but then his eyes landed on the calendar. Before he could change his mind, he snatched the phone back up and hit the button. Seconds later Paul answered.

"Hey, Paul. Richard Castle. How are you? I wondered if you could do me a favor? Can you pass my number on to Casey and have her give me a call?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Feb. 9, 2012**

While standing by the murder board with Ryan and Esposito, Kate couldn't help watching the elevator, waiting for Castle. They had gotten so busy yesterday that she didn't get a chance to talk to him again before her shift was over. Then he left without saying goodbye while she was across the room putting away a file. They always walked out together and as she had stood in the elevator alone, a wave of anger had washed over her. Not at him. At herself. She couldn't believe she had turned him down. It was just that he had taken her by surprise and she had reacted without taking time to think.

Of course, she shouldn't have been surprised. Although Castle had been great, waiting while she worked through her issues, she could tell that he was getting impatient and she had figured that it was only a matter of time before he got tired of waiting and made a move. In fact, there had been several times recently that he would just stare into her eyes, and she thought for sure he was going to act on the feelings she saw written all over his face. At those times, her heart would race and her stomach would do a little flip flop of anticipation. She always felt a mixture of relief and disappointment when he would finally look away, the moment gone. At first relief over-shadowed everything, her fear still getting the better of her. But as time went on, the fear slowly faded until she was left feeling the most incredible feeling when he would lock his eyes on hers. Then when he finally asked her out, what did she do? She panicked, reverting back to her old defense mechanisms as if nothing had changed. But things had changed, and she had spent the rest of the day waiting to tell him so. But she had waited too long.

So here she was, pretending to listen as Ryan filled them in on what he knew about their latest case, when all she could really think about was Castle. She had just looked down to check her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, when she heard the elevator arrive. She smiled when the doors opened and she saw him.

"Umm, Ryan, can you go and pull our vics financials? Maybe you'll find something that will give us a lead." She had already turned back towards Castle or she would have seen the look of confusion on Ryan's face.

"But I just told you that..."

"Yo, Ryan," Esposito interrupted. "Can't you take a hint? Let's go 'run those financials' and give those two some space. Geez, and you call yourself a detective?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Ryan muttered as he followed Esposito away from the board.

"Hey Castle," she said as he walked up.

"Morning." He set her coffee cup on the table. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, but she could tell it was strained, an indication that he was hurt by the way she had acted the day before.

Wiping her suddenly moist palms on her pants, she said, "Listen, about yesterday-"

Before she could finish her sentence, his phone rang. She sighed in frustration as he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it, stepping away from her as he did.

"Hey Casey! I guess you got my message. How are you?" After a minute, obviously listening to her response, he said, "I know it's kind of short notice, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me next Tuesday." He paused, waiting for an answer. Kate found herself holding her breath as she waited as well. "Of course I know that it's Valentine's Day." Her heart sunk at his smile. "Okay. That's great! I'll get the reservations." Another pause. "This Saturday night? Absolutely. Do you still live on Cain? Okay, then I'll pick you up around 8:00. See you soon."

Kate quickly turned away as he hung up, staring hard at the board pretending she didn't hear what she had just heard. It took everything she had in her to keep her face neutral when inside she was crumbling. This situation took her back to the time when he had asked her to go with him to the Hamptons. She had told him no then as well, and later changed her mind only to find out he had made new plans with his ex-wife. It had hurt then, but nothing compared to what she was feeling now. The pain was so intense that she ended up excusing herself to the bathroom, needing a few minutes alone to compose herself.

He watched her walk away with mixed feelings. He knew she had to have overheard his conversation. The fact that Casey had called right as he started to talk to Kate was pure coincidence. Not wanting to play games with her, he hadn't intended to tell her about his date, but a part of him couldn't help but be secretly pleased that she had overheard it. Maybe knowing he was going out with another woman was just the nudge she needed to think about what she wanted, and hopefully what she wanted was him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Feb. 11, 2012**

Kate looked at the clock. 11:37pm. Exactly ten minutes later than the last time she had checked. She sat up, rearranged her pillow and flopped back down with a sigh. Closing her eyes tightly she willed herself to go to sleep with no success, unable to get Castle out of her head. This was nothing new for Kate. Once she became aware of how deep his feelings were for her, and finally began to accept that she had equally strong ones for him, everything had changed for her. And over the past several weeks, she had spent more time than she was willing to admit thinking about him. Especially at night, lying in the dark, when there was nothing left to distract her, Castle would fill her thoughts.

Only then would she let her guard down and begin to explore all of the feelings that she had kept buried for so long. She would let herself wonder how it would feel to finally let her wall down, to tell him how much he meant to her. What it would be like to touch him and have him touch her. If the jolt of awareness that she now felt with every innocent contact- his fingers grazing hers as she took her coffee or his arm brushing hers as they entered the elevator- was any indication, it was going to be unlike anything she had felt with any other man. Falling asleep to these thoughts would often lead to nights full of dreams. Dreams that had her waking up in the night, breathing heavy, heart pounding, and so full of longing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep for hours.

But of course, those weren't the thoughts she had tonight. Tonight all she could think about was how much it hurt, knowing that while she had been lying here alone, he had been out with another woman. Maybe they were still out, dancing, having fun. Or maybe their date had continued at her place. At that thought, a tear leaked out of the side of her eye, falling silently onto her pillow.

* * *

><p>Across the city, Castle was also lying awake, unable to sleep. His date with Casey had gone great. She was just as beautiful, fun and exciting as she had been when he had gone out with her all those years ago. They had gone to a well known night club, and then went for a walk in the snow. It was the perfect date. He knew he should be happy. He had gotten his wish: He was not going to be spending Valentine's Day alone. But of course he didn't feel happy. Because even though it was the perfect date, it wasn't with the perfect woman, and the whole night he had had to fight to keep his thoughts from wandering back to Kate. Who was he kidding? He didn't just want a Valentine's date, he wanted to spend Valentine's Day with Kate. Not that what he wanted mattered. Obviously he had misread her and she wasn't ready. Besides, he already had plans with Casey that he didn't plan on changing. She might not be the one for him, but he liked her and it wasn't fair to leave her without a date on Valentine's Day.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Feb. 13, 2012**

"Alright Castle, what did you do?" Esposito mumbled around a bite of cheeseburger as Castle looked at him and Ryan from across the booth at Remy's.

"What makes you think I did something?"

They both looked at him knowingly. "Gee, I don't know," Ryan said sarcastically. "Maybe because Beckett has basically pushed you off on us for the last few days."

Scowling, he threw his napkin on top of his untouched burger. "I didn't realize I was such a burden."

Ryan and Esposito exchanged a surprised glance at Castle's uncharacteristically sullen tone.

"Come on, you know what we mean," Ryan said. "It's just that you two usually work together and all of a sudden, she's working alone and you're with us. You can't tell us there's no reason."

"Come on, Bro, spill," Esposito said when Castle remained silent.

"Fine. I went out on a date last night."

Esposito looked at him through narrowed eyes. "A date? Not with Beckett I take it."

"No, not with Beckett."

"And Beckett found out."

"Actually, she was standing there when I made the date."

"Ouch. Well I guess that explains why we got stuck with you. Not that we're stuck. I mean we like working with you, it's just-"

"So," Esposito interrupted, shooting Ryan a 'knock it off look'. "Tell us all about this mystery woman. Is she hot?"

"Oh yeah. Long blonde hair, sexy, smart..."

"Sounds great. You think you'll see her again?"

"As a matter of fact we've got a date for Valentine's Day."

"You know, I gotta say, for a guy whose got a hot date on Valentine's Day, you don't look very happy."

Castle smiled sadly. "It shows huh? You're right. Casey's great, and she's ready and more than willing to 'be my Valentine', if you know what I mean, but..."

"But... what?" Esposito asked. "Bad breath? Married?"

"Or is she one of those women with an awful, annoying laugh?"

"Ooh, like that girl, Terri, that you went out with a couple of years ago! The one who laughed like a hyena," Esposito added, cringing at the memory.

"No, it's nothing like that. She really _is _great. But even though it's just casual, someone to spend time with, I think I'd rather just stay home alone. Am I crazy?"

Ryan laughed. "Oh you're crazy alright. Crazy about Beckett."

* * *

><p>Back at the station, Kate was eating lunch while half-heartedly flipping through the file on her desk when she noticed a woman wandering around, obviously looking for someone. Closing the folder, she got up and walked over to her.<p>

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so. I'm looking for Richard. Richard Castle."

She knew without a doubt that the woman asking had to be Casey.

"Sorry, he's not here," she answered coldly. "Was he expecting you?"

"No. I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by. Do you know if Detective Beckett is here?"

"Actually, I'm Detective Beckett."

She looked Kate up and down before she said, "I'm Casey Wright. So you're _the_ Kate Beckett. The inspiration for Nikki Heat. I must tell you, we have really enjoyed the series."

"We?"

"We. I work at Hyperion. Where they publish Rick's books," she added at Kate's blank look.

"Oh." For some reason that fact bothered her. Not only was this Casey beautiful, she worked for his publishing company. That made her beautiful, smart and having a lot in common with Castle. "Well, I better get back to work. I'll tell him you stopped by."

"Please do," she said as she turned to walk away.

"Wait! Before you go, I think there is something you should know. Castle and I are _very_ close. In fact, he had invited me out for Valentine's Day, but I...wasn't able to go." She cringed inwardly, hoping she didn't sound as desperate as she felt.

Raising one eyebrow, Casey said, "What are you trying to say, Detective? That I'm wasting my time? That he's taken?"

Kate lifted her chin defiantly. "I just thought you would want to know that you weren't his first choice."

They stared at each other for several seconds, neither woman willing to back down. Finally, Casey smiled. "Look, Rick and I go way back. He's a good friend, and I'll admit, I was hoping that maybe we could be more. But when we went out Saturday night, it was clear that he wasn't into me. Now that I've met you, I know why. Listen, can I give you some advice? I don't know what game you're playing, but you better make up your mind about what you want. It's obvious that he has it bad for you, but you can't expect him to wait around forever."

As Casey walked towards the elevator, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed. While she waited for the doors to open, she turned around, making it easy for Kate to clearly hear her message. "Rick. Bad news. Something's come up and I won't be able to make it for Valentine's Day."


	6. Chapter 6

**Feb. 14, 2012**

**Valentine's Day**

Castle couldn't help but chuckle a little at his current situation. Had it really only been one week ago that he had sat in this loft, depressed at the thought of spending this night alone? He thought about everything that had transpired in the short span of just seven days, yet in the end, nothing had changed. Well maybe not 'nothing'. He had learned a few things. That Kate wasn't ready for a relationship. That he wasn't ready to move on. He had been both surprised and relieved when he had listened to the voice mail from Casey canceling their date. That was something else that he had learned. That although he still hated being alone for Valentine's Day, it was better then being with another woman, feigning an interest he didn't feel.

So here he sat, aimlessly flipping through the television channels, more as a way to keep the silence at bay then anything else. His stomach growled and right on cue, there was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the pizza he had ordered. Grabbing his money off of the coffee table, he walked over and opened the door.

Focused on the pizza box, it took him a full thirty seconds to realize that it wasn't the delivery guy holding the box. It was Kate!

"Wow Castle, getting desperate enough to start paying for dates?" she teased, pointing at the money he still held in his outstretched hand.

"Kate? What are doing here? And how did you get my pizza?"

"Oh, I ran into the pizza guy in the hall. Can I come in?"

"Of course," he said stepping out of the way. He took the pizza box out of her hands as she walked by. "Have a seat. I'm gonna grab a beer. You want one?"

"Yes! A cold beer sounds great."

He went to the kitchen and grabbed the beer, and some plates and napkins. He stopped short as he headed back into the living room. Kate had kicked off her shoes and was curled up on his couch, her bare feet tucked under her, smiling up at him. For a second he wondered if he was dreaming. If so, he didn't want to wake up.

"Hurry up with that beer, Castle," she said, her voice breaking the spell. He walked over and handed her the beer as he sat down next to her. He absently opened the pizza box and took out a piece, passing it to her.

"You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. I guess I felt bad, knowing you were spending Valentine's Day alone. Thought I'd take pity on you," she added grinning. She took a bite of the pizza, closing her eyes in pleasure. When she opened them, she saw Castle looking at her strangely.

"What?"

"How did you know I was spending Valentine's Day alone?" he asked, truly confused. He knew that she was aware that he had a date for tonight, but how did she know that it had been canceled?

"What do you mean?"

"Kate, I know you heard me on the phone last week. You knew I had a date. What made you think I'd be home tonight?"

She slowly set what was left of her pizza down. "I guess I forgot to tell you. Casey stopped by the precinct yesterday. While you were out to lunch."

"Oh. And she what? Told you that she was canceling our date?"

"Not exactly." Kate bit her lip nervously, not knowing how to tell him the rest. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but now she felt foolish for what she had said to Casey. "I guess it's my fault that she canceled on you."

"Your fault? How is it your fault?"

Unable to meet his eyes, she focused instead on the beer bottle that she was now gripping so tightly she was afraid it might break. She took a deep breath and said, "I might have said something that made her think we were... involved." She met his eyes briefly, before dropping them again.

"Really? Why?" He could only think of one reason why she would say something like that. He couldn't stop the grin that appeared as it sunk in what that meant. "Why Detective Beckett, were you jealous?"

She started to tell him no, but didn't bother. He wouldn't believe her anyway. Besides, she had a question of her own to ask. Casey seemed to think that Castle wasn't interested in her, but what if she was wrong? She remembered the way he had smiled when he was on the phone with her and she had accepted his date. Maybe he liked Casey more than she thought. She didn't think so, but she had to know for sure.

"Are you disappointed?" she asked quietly.

Disappointed? She had just admitted that she had chased away his date. He was the exact opposite of disappointed. "No, of course not. Why would I be disappointed?"

"Because you could be out on a real date. Instead you're stuck at home sitting on your couch eating pizza."

"Are you kidding? I would rather be sitting here, eating pizza with you, than anywhere else." When she still didn't look up, he said, "Kate, look at me."

He waited until she finally let her eyes meet his. "You know that, right?"

He could read the relief in her eyes, surprised. How could she possibly not know that?

He slowly raised his hand, his eyes locked on hers, expecting her to move back. When she didn't, he gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on the soft skin on the nap of her neck. Her lips parted, and he was afraid she was going to tell him to stop, but instead she slowly licked her lips. Although he doubted she meant it to be, it was an extremely sensual act, and it was more than he could stand. Not giving either of them time to think, he leaned over and kissed her softly. He pulled back, and searched her eyes. They left his only briefly, just long enough to look longingly at his mouth. Slowly she unfolded her legs, until she was up on her knees looking slightly down at him, her hair tickling his face. She smiled and leaned down, kissing him tentatively.

Without breaking contact, he pushed up onto his knees as well, anxious to be closer to her. Burying his hands in her hair, he held her face gently as he deepened the kiss. They took their time exploring, with slow, soft kisses, pulling away more than once, but always drawn back, wanting more.

After several minutes, Kate gently pushed him away, sitting back down, looking as stunned as he felt. Her face flushed and her mouth swollen from his kisses, he wanted nothing more than to taste her again. But before he could act, she leaped off the couch.

"I almost forgot! I have something for you." She quickly walked over to her coat that was hanging up by the door. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, heart-shaped box of chocolate. She came back and sat down on the couch. Smiling, she handed him the box.

He grinned when he saw it. There was a picture of an alien on the lid, as the candy box was one designed for kids. Perfect. He loved it.

"Richard Castle, will you be my Valentine?" Her tone was teasing, but her eyes were serious.

"I thought you'd never ask," he replied, laughing. He opened the box and took out a chocolate heart, popping it into his mouth. "Mmm, yummy."

She watched as he finished one chocolate and got another one out. She leaned over to take one out of the box, but he pulled it away before she could get one.

"Hey!" she said, unable to keep from smiling at his playfulness.

"You want one?" When she nodded, he stood up and pulled her up with him. "Close your eyes."

"No way."

"If you want it, you have to close your eyes. Come on, trust me."

She stared at him for several seconds before slowly closing her eyes.

She shivered when he whispered, "Open your mouth, Kate," his lips grazing her ear.

After a brief hesitation, she did. She was rewarded as he gently placed the chocolate heart on her tongue. But just before she closed her mouth, he pulled it back out.

"Again," he whispered, his voice husky. This time there was no hesitation. He again briefly placed it on her tongue then pulled it away, this time rubbing the now melting chocolate on her lips. She opened her eyes, just as she saw him leaning down to kiss her. She tried to meet him half way, but he put his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from moving. She soon knew why. Instead of kissing her, he used his tongue to lick the chocolate off of her lips with small, gentle licks that left her breathless and shaking.

The candy gone from her lips, he let his mouth wander, leaving a trail of soft kisses along her jawline, behind her ear, back down her neck until his lips landed on the hollow of her throat where he could feel her pulse beating wildly. Hungry for her mouth again, he went back, covering her lips greedily with his. This time, the tentativeness was gone, and she surprised him by kissing him back passionately, standing on her toes as if she couldn't get enough of him.

Emboldened by her reaction, he let his hands wander under the hem of her shirt, frustrated to find that she was wearing a tank top underneath, tucked into her jeans. He let his hands linger on the soft cotton, testing to see if she would pull away. When she didn't he slowly pulled on the shirt until his fingers finally came into contact with her warm skin. He felt her sharp, indrawn breath, her hands grabbing the front of his shirt tightly as his hands circled her waist, his thumbs caressing her soft belly before sliding around to her back. Slowly he let his hands explore the smooth skin of her back, pulling her closer to him. With her body deliciously tucked against him, he let his fingers run slowly up and down her spine, her body quivering under his touch. When his fingers met the lace of her bra, he froze. He could feel the soft weight of her breasts, rising and falling rapidly against his chest. He badly wanted this to lead to more, but somehow he found the strength to pull away before they got so carried away that they might not stop. He let his forehead rest on hers, just holding her as slowly their breathing slowed and their heartbeats returned almost to normal.

Without saying a word, he sat back down on the couch, and she followed, snuggling up next to him, his arm around her, her head resting on his shoulder. They sat that way for several minutes content just to be together, both trying to absorb what had just happened.

Finally he moved, leaning forward to pick up the box of chocolates, frowning.

"Castle, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing his expression.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just... I don't have anything to give you."

She sat up, facing him, her eyes serious. "Are you kidding me? You've given me...everything. You have been there for me every time I needed you, whether I knew I needed you or not, no matter how many times I pushed you away. Somehow you managed to give me time and space without ever leaving me alone, although sometimes I've wondered why. But I'm so grateful that you did. You gave me my life back, Castle. You gave me..." she had more to say, needing him to know how much he meant to her, but she couldn't get anything else past the sudden lump in her throat that threatened to make her cry.

"My heart."

"What?"

He took her hand and placed it on his chest. "My heart. I gave you my heart." He looked into her eyes as he whispered, "Kate Beckett, will you be my Valentine?"

She didn't even have to think twice. "Always," she managed to breathe, just as his mouth covered hers once again.


End file.
